James O'Brien schooled on borders after Brexit by Port of Dover worker
28 February 2020, 15:10
This caller has worked at the Port of Dover for 41 years and called to tell James O'Brien the truth about what will happen at the UK's borders following Brexit.
The government has confirmed that around 50,000 customs agents will need to be recruited to deal with the increase in paperwork following Brexit.
James was discussing that when Steve called in from Dover to explain to him how things at the UK's borders actually work.
He said: "I work for a customs clearance agent. We prepare the paperwork prior to it going through customs.
"Mr Farage always said it would take seven seconds to clear a truck. That's all well and good if you're pressing a computer button, but we're the people who spend an hour or two preparing the paperwork for it to go to customs."
Steve revealed he has worked there for 41 years, meaning he started before paperwork was stopped for EU countries. That meant he was uniquely qualified to explain why we were heading from a major problem.
He continued: "In those days, we had 800,000 trucks per year crossing the channel. With EuroTunnel, we're now at 4.5million. That works out at about 8,000 a day, just at Dover.
"The doomsday scenario is that the parking facilities at the Port of Dover and EuroTunnel will be filled up within hours. And then, where does it go?"
Steve believes the rocketing number of customs agents that will be needed may actually give a boost to Dover - the first growth area following Brexit.
Watch his fascinating account at the top of the page.
